John Mikel Obi’s representative, John Shittu, has said that his player was keen to leave Chelsea at the start of the season but the Blues were not ready to sell him.
Mikel has played bit roles for the Blues in recent seasons. And he has been severely criticised by the local media for not seeking first team football elsewhere after he further fell down the pecking order with the arrival of Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic in 2014.
The emergence of highly-rated youth player Ruben Loftus-Cheek may also limit the Nigerian’s chances at the English champions.
Mikel had reportedly agreed personal terms with Arabian Gulf League champions, Al Ain, but the deal fell through after the UAE side could not meet Chelsea’s valuation of the 28-year-old.
“He would have left (Chelsea) at the beginning of the season but the club refused to sell him because they felt he was still important to the team. And that was how we left it. So many clubs came in but they didn’t want to sell. Now we are going to look at the situation; how it plays out and from there we can move on,” Shittu said.
On the possibility of Mikel making a move away from Stamford Bridge in January, Shittu added, “Well, let’s see how it plays out.”
Big-spending Turkish club Fenerbahce were also reportedly interested in the ex-Lyn Oslo man but couldn’t meet Chelsea’s price.
“Chelsea want €15m and Mikel asked for €5m a season, over four years. We are talking €35m. This definitely is not something we can pursue,” Fenerbahce chairman Aziz Yildirim was quoted as saying by thenational.ae in July.
During his nine years at Chelsea, Mikel has made over 340 appearances and won two Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, four FA Cups and two League Cups.
His output for the national team has also been questioned, with critics saying he does not give enough to the Super Eagles. Recently, Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh, benched the ex-Flying Eagles star during the team’s 2018 World Cup qualifier against Swaziland in Port Harcourt.
But Shittu insists Mikel gives his best to the Eagles anytime he is invited to the team.
It’s not true (that Mikel doesn’t give enough) because every time he comes to the team, he tries to do his best and that’s what matters. The coach decides who he uses, so it’s not a problem if he doesn’t use Mikel in a game. What matters is that the player will always give his best to his country whenever he is invited,” Shittu added.